Conga promotes Ian Wathen to Chief Financial Officer

Conga has promoted Ian Wathen to Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately.

Wathen, a 10-year veteran of the software company, most recently served as Senior Vice President of Finance and interim Chief Financial Officer. In the permanent role, he will lead Conga's global finance organisation, including financial planning and analysis, accounting, investor relations and strategic financial operations.

The appointment gives Conga a finance chief from within its existing leadership ranks as the group continues to expand its commercial software business. The company sells tools that help businesses manage pricing, quoting, contracting, rebates and communications across sales and finance processes.

Wathen will remain part of the executive leadership team and work closely with the wider C-suite and board. His appointment follows a period in which he had already been overseeing the finance function on an interim basis.

Conga says it serves more than 10,000 customers worldwide, including more than half of the Fortune 100, and that more than 7 million contracts are generated annually through its platform.

Internal appointment

Wathen joined Conga more than a decade ago and has held several senior finance roles. Conga cited his familiarity with its finances and strategy as reasons for formalising his leadership of the department.

For software companies built on recurring customer relationships, finance chiefs often play a central role in balancing growth targets, operating discipline and investor communications. Appointing an insider can also reduce disruption when a company is already navigating strategic or organisational change.

Dave Osborne, Chief Executive Officer of Conga, said Wathen had already demonstrated his suitability for the role during his time as interim finance chief.

"Ian has earned this role many times over," said Dave Osborne, Chief Executive Officer, Conga. "Over the last decade, he has demonstrated an exceptional understanding of Conga's business and has already built deep trust with stakeholders. Having served as Conga's interim CFO, he knows what it takes to lead this function at the highest level. This is the right person, at the right time, and I couldn't be more confident in the decision."

Finance remit

As Chief Financial Officer, Wathen takes on a broad remit spanning core reporting and planning functions as well as investor relations. That puts him at the centre of decisions on budgeting, performance measurement and financial strategy as Conga manages its next phase under Osborne's leadership team.

Conga operates in the revenue lifecycle management market, where software providers aim to help companies standardise the steps between setting prices and completing contracts. Businesses in this segment position their products as a way to bring together functions often spread across sales, legal and finance teams.

That positioning has become more prominent as larger companies seek tighter control over commercial processes and contract volumes. Conga's annual contract figure points to significant transaction throughput, particularly among large corporate customers.

Wathen said his immediate focus would be to maintain the work already under way in the finance organisation and support the broader business.

"I'm honored to take on this role and grateful to Dave and the Board for their trust," said Ian Wathen, Chief Financial Officer, Conga. "I've spent 10 years learning the business alongside an incredible team, and I care deeply about where we're headed. My focus is to continue the momentum this team has built and make sure the Finance team is a true partner to every part of the business internally and externally."